Cupcakes and Eclairs
by Akasha617
Summary: A long, long time ago at the Tasty Pastry on Hamilton.


For some time now, I've been wanting to fill in the blanks of Stephanie's past.

We only ever get excerpts.

So here's my attempt at the first, please r&r.

Rating: R

Disclaimer: Still not mine, none of it

Cupcakes and Éclairs

-What happened at the Tasty Pastry all those years ago-

'Two weeks later, Joe Morelli came into the bakery where I worked every day after school, Tasty Pastry, on Hamilton.' - Janet Evanovich, One for the Money

"Will that be all, Mrs. Molnar?" I sure hoped so. I've been standing nonstop since I started my shift this afternoon and my feet were killing me. Only fifteen more minutes and I could close the bakery for the night.

"Yes, thank you, Stephanie," Mrs. Molnar said. I knew pretty much all of Tasty's customers because I lived where they lived, in the Burg. A blue-collar chunk of Trenton.

I was sixteen and saving my pennies for college and the new pink lipstick I'd seen at Woolworth's earlier this week. That's why I worked at the bakery every day after school.

I wrapped up Mrs. Molnar's bread and cupcakes and took her money.

The little bell over the door jingled and I looked up from the cash register.

My heart did a little tap dance when I saw who had entered. Joe Morelli, in the flesh.

Joe lived two blocks over from where I lived with my parents and my sister, and he was two years older. I hadn't seen much of him since we were kids, but I'd recognize his handsome face anywhere.

I gave Mrs. Molnar her change almost in trance and nodded my goodbye.

Joe smiled as Mrs. Molnar passed him and greeted her politely. She asked about his mother, and Joe assured her all was well, then he held the door for her.

He was about 6 feet tall, and it didn't look like he had an ounce of fat on him. His dark brown hair was cut short and even from the distance, I could tell how dark his eyes were.

He was wearing blue jeans and a polo shirt, his arms were tanned. And I thought he looked absolutely dreamy.

I didn't realize I was staring at him until I noticed he'd focused his eyes on me and his smile had widened.

He walked over until only the display counter was between us. My palms were sweaty. And I was wishing I'd checked my appearance at some point during the afternoon, probably I looked like hell.

"Can I…Can I help you?" I asked timidly. I never stuttered! I'd been working here for months and had gotten quite good with the customers. Now one look at Joe Morelli, and I turned into an idiot.

"Well," he said slowly "That all depends. How are you, Stephanie?"

He remembered my name! I was about to faint! It had been ten years since he last spoke to me, and he remembered my name!

"I…I'm good. How are you?"

"Joe." He volunteered. As if I'd forget his name!!

Just two weeks ago, my best friend Mary Lou had warned me about him. She'd said he had a tongue like a lizard and a reputation for having fast hands and clever fingers. I had no idea what that all meant, but it was enough to make me look at Joe with a mixture of awe and curiosity.

Mary Lou had also warned me never to be caught alone with Joe Morelli. Well, it was too late for that. I was the last one in the bakery; I always closed the store on weekdays.

"You work here?" Joe asked when I didn't say anything.

I busied myself with wiping the counter and nodded.

"I joined the Navy!" He announced, straightening his shoulders. "I'll be shipping out on Tuesday."

"Wow," I said, because I couldn't think of anything intelligent to say.

Joe was studying the pastries in the display case.

"So, what can you recommend? I feel like something sweet."

I was pretty sure he was talking about pastries, but for some reason, a tight ball formed in my stomach and I found it hard to breathe.

"Do you like cannolis?"

He took his eyes away from the pastries and looked directly at me. His eyes were the color of molten chocolate and his long lashes framed them perfectly. And just like that, every romance novel I'd ever read made sense to me. This is what falling in love must feel like, I decided.

"I love cannolis," Joe said, putting a lot of emphasis on the word 'love'.  
I licked my lips which suddenly felt way to dry and took a paper from the box. My hands were shaking.

"Chocolate?" I asked, because since I couldn't turn my eyes away from Joe's, chocolate was the only thing on my mind.

"My favorite," He said slowly and walked the length of the counter.

"So Stephanie," He said "How long do you have to work today?"

"U…until six," I replied, barely able to speak while I pushed the glass away to get access to the cannolis.

Joe looked at his watch. Then he came around the counter and slowly let his eyes wander from my face down to my feet.

I forced my eyes away from him and managed to get the pastry into a paper bag.

"A dollar fifty." I pressed out like an imbecile as I handed him the bag.

Joe was still smiling as he dug into the pocket of his jeans and handed me some change.

"It's just about six now," he said "Don't you want to lock up? I'll help you clean."

I checked the wall clock above the door. Sure enough, it was one minute of six. How long had I been staring at Joe?

I put Joe's money on the counter and searched in my apron for the keys. When I took them out, Joe closed the distance between us and took the keys from me.

"Let me." He said. When our fingers touched, currents of electricity shot up my fingers.

Joe walked to the door and I couldn't help staring at his backside. I'd never given boys' asses much consideration, but looking at Joe's gave me a rush I had never felt before.

My heart was beating at twice its usual pace and my mouth was bone-dry.

I was unable to move. When Joe returned moments later, I was still standing the way he had left me.

"What do you do for fun after work, Stephanie?" Joe asked. I loved the way he said my name. I'd never heard it quite this way before.

"I dunno…" I murmured. I had lost the ability to form coherent sentences.

Joe didn't seem to notice, he was still smiling. He took his paper bag and opened it.

He stepped closer and took the cannoli out.

"Want a taste?" He asked, holding the chocolaty goodness inches from my mouth. I leaned forward and took a bite.

Joe's eyes were now focusing on my mouth, and I was concentrating really hard on not choking while I swallowed.

"You got some…" He started and lifted his finger. I thought he was going to say 'chocolate on your mouth', but he never finished.

Instead, he put his hand on my shoulder and lowered his mouth to mine.

I thought I was going to faint when his tongue started circling my mouth, licking the crumbs away. My breath caught and I almost fell against Joe. He wound his arms around me and held me, never taking his mouth of mine.

I had never been kissed by a boy before; I didn't even know a kiss could be like this. I only knew pecks from aunts and uncles, and those were on the cheeks. But I remembered reading about what Joe was doing in the novels I devoured.

Joe moaned and the heat traveled from my stomach down to my privates. I widened my eyes in shock as I felt Joes hand slide down my back to my ass.

I didn't have time to think about it though, because Joe's tongue was playing with my lips and the sensation was so extraordinary that I couldn't move or think.

When his tongue parted my lips, I opened my mouth as if it was a reflex, it felt like the natural thing to do.

Joe loosened the knot of the apron behind my back and pulled it out from between us, then he pulled me closer. I was now flush with his body, its heat seeping into me.

Our tongues touched and I would have slipped to the floor if Joe hadn't held me. As if they had a will of their own, my hands came up and held Joe's face.

He cupped my ass and I gasped, I could feel him smiling against my mouth.

I had feared this moment, my first kiss, because I'd had no clue what to do. It turned out my tongue kind of knew what to do because Joe was leading the way. It was sort of like ballroom dancing, I thought, where you just have to follow a strong lead to learn the steps.

Joe was leaning into me, pushing back.

He lifted his head and locked eyes with me.

"This will be a lot more comfortable on the floor," He said and kneeled down. He took my hand and pulled me down to him. I had lost control of my body. If he hadn't pulled me, I would have remained standing.

I was fascinated by his eyes, now dark pools of Hershey's syrup.

He gently pushed me down until I was lying on my back, then he let his hands wander from my neck down to my chest.

"You're sweeter than all the pastries in here, Stephanie." He said and my head started spinning.

He cupped my right breast and I sucked in some air. I'd just recently started exploring that part of my body while in the shower, and it had never felt like this when I'd touched my boobs.

Joe lay down next to me and continued caressing my body, his hands wandering lower and lower, until he'd reached my hips. He got up into a kneeling position again and lifted the skirt of my dress and pulled it up, lifting my hips with his free hand.

I lifted up my arms and let him pull the dress free.

I could feel the color creep into my cheeks, I'd never been naked in front of anyone before.

Joe let the dress drop to his side and took his shirt off.

I was mesmerized by his tight muscles and the eagle tattoo on his chest.

He took my hand and placed it on his chest, encouraging me to explore too.

His skin was warm under my palm and his muscles rippled under my touch.

Heat started to gather between my legs and for a panicky moment, I was afraid I had started my period.

Joe loosened the buttons on his jeans and pushed them down to his knees before he lowered his head to my chest.

I gasped as his mouth touched the fabric of my bra and his tongue started touching my nipple. I could feel my nipples harden in response. Joe's breath was hot and ragged against my skin. My hand was now trapped between us.

His hands were stroking my side and I could feel my pelvis lift and meet his.

He was now trailing open-mouthed kisses up my chest, over my jaw, until he claimed my mouth again.

His hand left my side and snuck under my back, within a second, my bra clasp was undone.

I had my free hand on Joe's back and was frantically kneading his tight skin.

Joe pushed himself up and removed my bra, replacing it with his mouth. I couldn't hear anything over my blood rushing in my ears, but I could feel myself moaning. I might have been panting, too.

Joe's mouth continued its way down my upper body and down to my belly button, where he let his tongue dart in. I buried my hands in his hair and squirmed under him. I didn't know what I wanted, but I was sure I wanted something, and right now. And I was sure I now knew what fast hands and clever fingers meant.

My eyes were closed; I was enjoying the feel of Joe's mouth and his hands on me. I barely noticed when he put his thumb under my panties and pulled them down, I only realized he was gone all of a sudden.

My eyes flew open, and I saw him kneeling, pulling my panties down my legs. He shucked his briefs a moment later and I got my first look at his manhood, and it was huge.

Panic soared through me at the thought of what was going to happen next, but it was drowned out by the sensation of Joe's hands slipping up my thighs, parting my legs.

I was momentarily confused when Joe lowered his head, and then a small scream escaped my mouth when I felt his mouth touching my doodah.

I had no words for what I was feeling, it was better than I had imagined, better than anything I'd ever felt before. My heart was beating so fast I was sure it was going to explode.

I could feel Joe's tongue doing magic things, I felt dizzy and hot and cold and happy all at the same time.

Before I knew what was happening, Joe was trailing kisses up my belly again, stopping at my breasts to suck each nipple until I felt I was going crazy. I heard whimpering and didn't' even realize it was me.

Joe positioned himself over me and smiled down. I was sure I was about to drown in his eyes when I felt his hardness against my belly.

He crushed his lips on mine and swirled his tongue in my mouth. I felt a short, sharp pain as he was pressing his hips into mine and Joe moaned into my mouth.

He remained still for a moment, only his tongue was still moving and I could feel my body adjusting to him.

The pain returned when he lifted his pelvis up, but by the time he moved down again, it was gone.

He was now nibbling my earlobe and moving steadily up and down. I thrust my pelvis up to meet him and felt him shudder before he collapsed onto me.

He was breathing fast against my ear and his fingers were playing with my hair splayed out on the floor.

"I knew it." He whispered after a long moment. "Sweeter than chocolate!"

With that he rolled off me and lay next to me, still breathing hard.

I had no idea if there was anything I was supposed to do now, so I just remained still, my eyes closed.

When I felt Joe move next to me, I opened them.

Joe got up and fished his briefs from the pile of clothes. He had his shirt on and was stepping into his jeans before I had my breath under control and could get up.

I grabbed my dress and held it against me, suddenly aware of my nakedness.

Joe finished buttoning his jeans and smiled at me. He grabbed the paper bag with his cannoli from the counter and winked.

"That was the best goodbye a sailor can hope for." He said and kissed me.

Then he bent down and handed me my underwear, offering his free hand to hold my dress.

"I'm sure glad I was hungry for pastry today," he said when we were both fully dressed. He took a bite from his cannoli and winked at me again. I felt butterflies in my belly and smiled back at him.

"Take care of yourself, Steph," He said before he took my chin in his hand and kissed me on the mouth.

It wasn't until I heard the bell jingle that I realized he was gone.

Mary Lou could go on fantasizing about David Cassidy for all I cared, I had found the real thing. I was in love and I had just had sex.

I wasn't sure I could manage to wipe the goofy grin from my face before I got home, or if I should go straight to Mary Lou's and tell her all about it.

Joe Morelli had just retired my virginity and I was on cloud nine. It did occur to me that I had let him do whatever he wanted with me, but I hadn't even thought of objecting.

I had a boyfriend now, and pretty soon, he would surely ask me to marry him. After I'd finished school of course.


End file.
